CLASSROOM CLIMATE IN GREEK SCHOOL - PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION: DIFFERENTIATIONS AMONG STUDENTS BASED ON GENDER

The concept of school climate is a quality concept defined by qualitative factors and determined by expectations of quality. Despite the difficulties brought about such an assumption, we must pursue further research and its conjunction to information relating to an essential perspective on quality in education. School climate, as the resultant of the prime qualitative characteristics of education, is the core of this research. Prophetically, it was early noted that the climate concerns both the culture – climate of an educational organization and the reinterpretation of the informal system (Frederickson, 1968). The purpose of this study, which was conducted in Greece, was to examine the differences in classroom climate among students through students' individual interpretations, as actors of their gender. Students completed the Classroom Life Measure Scale (Johnson & Johnson). For the purpose of the study five hundred sixty four (564) students participated in the research - age of eleven (11) to fourteen (14) years (M = 13.05, SD = 1.58) – primary and secondary education – , of which two hundred fifty-nine (259) were boys (45.9%) and three hundred and five (305) girls (54.1%). The results showed statistically significant differences between the sexes. In particular, boys showed higher values in the factors of external motivation - social support, individual learning and competitive learning against girls, which had a higher value to the factor cooperation. More specifically, it appears that boys argue that there is a more competitive environment in the classroom, which to some extent may enhance individual learning, - which can be supported by higher values in these factors. This leads to social support seeking, and / or motivation from the external environment to counterbalance, possibly, negative feelings may experience during the educational process. On the other hand, girls have higher mean values in cooperation which refers to a positive profile within the educational environment and in particular of the classroom. Many researchers have talked about a kind of "hidden" curriculum that differentiates boys and girls (Kontogiannopoulou-Polydoride, 1995), and despite the various relevant educational reforms, research shows that the gender of the student still plays a differentiating role - a. girls are making higher performance at school, b. boys are making higher performance in General Examinations, c. compared to boys, girls are less likely to be admitted to higher education, d. boys are comparatively more likely to be admitted in those university departments with the best professional prospects and most prestigious in the labour market (Gouvias, 1999) -. This differential role based on gender can be accurately diagnosed and promptly identified through the study of factors that establish classroom climate. Such a research is a prerequisite for the development of actions leading to educational improvement or even better to educational development - on the part of school policy and the broader education policy.

These actions will be related to specific aspects of school climate, so that through their fruitful utilization to promote learning for all, which must be based on intrinsic motivation and cooperation in order to be called qualitative learning.